The Trio Simpatico Podcast

Greetings true collectors!  Who's ready for another exciting episode of TRIO SIMPATICO, your friendly neighborhood podcast? That's right we are back with another installment of our month-long theme of TOYS & COLLECTIBLES!  Co-hosts DAVID and JOSHUA are joined by very special guest MARVIN HOOVER to discuss his extensive and impressive collection of SPIDER-MAN memorabilia! Focusing mainly on vintage SPIDER-MAN collectibles, Marvin's trove of Spidey treasures primarily date from 1989 and older.  The variety of items Marvin has compiled range from SPIDER-MAN toys to arcade games and shop displays to original comic book art! During our conversation we talk about collecting in general, what drives a collector, maintaining such a collection, and much more!  This is sure to be an episode you won't want to miss!  So plug in now for TRIO SIMPATICO!

We have officially begun our month-long theme of TOYS & COLLECTIBLES and returning junior guest LUCY WITSAMAN is here to usher it in with an episode teased during her last appearance! Throughout this month's string of episodes we will undoubtedly be discussing quite a few older, more vintage, lines of toys and collectibles but we'll be kicking things off here with something that's hot with the kids RIGHT NOW!  The LOL SURPRISE line of unboxing collectible dolls!  Yes as Lucy demanded previously, she has returned to briefly discuss the LOL SURPRISE toys, their history, and impact on her life personally. So crack open your surprise ball and dump out this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO and unwrap it with your ears! 

Well here it is, the final installment of our MISSED MOVIES theme! David and Joshua are back with returning guest LAUREN WITSAMAN and this time it is our very own co-host Joshua Witsaman discussing a popular film he's never seen!  That's right Josh has finally sat down to watch the James Cameron smash hit (intentional wording) TITANIC! As you'll quickly discover listening to this episode there is still a great deal left to say about this 90's blockbuster and it certainly has made Josh feel a lot of feelings.  But did he enjoy the film?  Would he recommend it to others?  What are his opinions regarding Billy Zane? Listen in to find out!  Plus, hear the retelling of David and Lauren's very different experiences seeing TITANIC in theaters during its original release! All this and MORE on this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO!

On this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO co-hosts David and Joshua welcome back returning guest LAUREN WITSAMAN to discuss THE SOUND OF MUSIC, a film Lauren had never seen until we forced her to! Listen as we delve into the mythos of this classic musical film adaptation and ask the hard hitting questions: What's your favorite song?  Which is your favorite von Trapp kid?  And what exactly is Maria's origin story?  Seriously, where the hell did she come from?? Continuing our theme of MISSED MOVIES we also touch on a bevy of other topics throughout the episode such as Disney's current trend of making live-action versions of their classic animated films, the real history of the von Trapp family, and ideas for a gritty Sound of Music remake. So tune in now!  

A WILD BONUS EPISODE APPEARED!! What a week to be a Pokemon fan. As a quick interlude to our Missed Movies themed month, co-host David Tavolier sits down with long-time friend of the show, David Wester, to discuss some recent news regarding the beloved Pokemon franchise.  Not only were we blessed with a new trailer for the upcoming Pokemon Detective Pikachu, but we also received the long-awaited announcement of a new Pokemon game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch! Is it everything David Wester has been longing for? Will David Tavolier finally get back into the Pokemon games? Will they both see the Detective Pikachu movie? Have a listen to hear their thoughts!

We are back with another episode about MISSED MOVIES: POPULAR FILMS WE'VE NEVER SEEN!  This time our very own co-host David Tavolier discusses his first viewing of the David Lean film THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI while Joshua and returning guest CARL RANDLES listen intently! During this episode we really go on a fair amount of tangents, in true TRIO SIMPATICO style.  Listen in as Joshua and David discuss several other popular films they've never seen.  Hear Carl get interrogated about zoo hypotheticals.  And enjoy the trio discussing filming techniques of British television of the late 1970's! Plus we discuss other works of, David Lean and Pierre Boulle, the creative geniuses who conceived of this masterpiece!  All this and MORE on this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO!   

TRIO SIMPATICO returns with our latest theme-of-the-month! This month is MISSED MOVIES: POPULAR FILMS WE'VE NEVER SEEN!  For this episode David and Joshua are joined by returning guest CARL RANDLES to discuss Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL! Two of the Trio had never seen this dystopian cult masterpiece previously so we take some time to not only talk about this movie but several other Terry Gilliam works as well.  Listen in as we discuss which aspects of modern life BRAZIL predicts correctly, praise this wonderful cast of British master thespians (and Robert De Niro), and as we try to pierce the veil of meaning behind the imagery of this strange futuristic narrative.  

On this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO the trio is filled out by a contingent of returning reviewers of international film and television DANA GALBRAITH, RYAN RIMMELE, AND ROSEY TUMPAK. This panel of global media devotees will be extolling upon the virtues of Japan and Netflix's joint reality television venture TERRACE HOUSE!  Co-hosts DAVID TAVOLIER and JOSHUA WITSAMAN sit down individually with these guests to find out what drew them to Japan's congenial twist on reality TV, discuss some of their favorite moments, and to watch a few episodes of the multilayered series.  Afterwards the entire panel will come together to share a few final thoughts and delve deep into Rosey's mythical annotated Terrace House journal! All this plus we hear about some other obscure television picks on this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO!   

2019 has arrived and TRIO SIMPATICO is back! This year the podcast will be instituting monthly themes to help focus our content!  Your co-hosts DAVID TAVOLIER and JOSHUA WITSAMAN are at last reunited to continue this month's theme: OBSCURE TELEVISION! For this episode both of the co-hosts will present an obscure television series to share with the listening audience!  But which shows could they be?  What era are they from?  What genre?  Well there's only one way to find out, by listening in to this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO! Here are a couple of clues though: One show features a person in a hospital gown exploding and the other features Tim Curry playing a real creep.

TRIO SIMPATICO is back! (Sort of!) On this bonus episode we are without co-host David Tavolier but we do have returning guest, television and movie reviewer, LUCY WITSAMAN!  This time Lucy is dissecting SHE-RA AND THE PRINCESSES OF POWER the newest incarnation of the Masters of the Universe Etherian heroin from Dreamworks and Netflix! As always co-host JOSHUA WITSAMAN holds our guests to the strictest standards of authenticity and expertise, putting this particular critic's opinions through the wringer!  Tune in to this bonus episode to hear their thoughts on the show, find out Lucy's favorite character, what she thought were the most frightening moments, and precisely which toys are the most distracting when giving an interview! All this and more right here on TRIO SIMPATICO!   

On this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO we've got another segment of our NEWS THAT DOESN'T SUCK with very special guest TYLER BUCKS from the Chatter Squadron podcast! Unfortunately the news recently has been dominated by a lot of headlines that truly suck.  Among other things the back-to-back deaths of comic book legend Stan Lee and 2001: A Space Odyssey alum Douglas Rain, which have really struck low a large portion of geekdom worldwide.  So, in lieu of other episode ideas that were in the works, co-hosts Joshua and David decided it would be a good time to share some happier headlines with the TRIO SIMPATICO listeners!  Thankfully guest Tyler Bucks agreed and added some genuine positivity to the show! This one is packed to the gills folks!  We're discussing Star Wars, She-Ra, Comics, Detective Pikachu, Stranger Things, books, we have a new sponsor for the show and MORE!  Give it a listen!   

Happy Halloween TRIO SIMPATICO listeners! In honor of our favorite holiday Simpatico Productions presents a dramatic reading of THE OUTSIDER by H.P. Lovecraft! An ancient mysterious castle, a life of bewildering darkness, and a wayward soul seeking one moment of illuminated beauty.  All of which culminates in a horrific realization.  Join us as we read one of Lovecraft's best known short stories and take a few moments to darken your Halloween with a swath of cosmic horror.  Written by Howard Phillips Lovecraft Read by Joshua Scott Witsaman Edited and produced by David William Tavolier   

It's a TRIO SIMPATICO field trip! For this episode David Tavolier and Joshua Witsaman are joined by returning guest DAVID WESTER as the trio travels to the BUCKLAND GALLERY OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK (AKA the Buckland Museum). This hidden gem of Cleveland Ohio is a small but intriguing collection of some of the mystic and ceremonial possessions of Raymond Buckland.  A student of Gerald Gardner, Buckland eventually came to the United States and formed one of the first Wiccan covens in the country.  The collection on display at the gallery includes items which belonged to Buckland as well as several other occultists such as Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner himself.  We're discussing the occult, witchcraft, museums, and the mystical in pop-culture.  Plus, as you should expect from this show by now, we go off the rails at a few points and delve into more than a few tangents. And, stick around to the end to hear your co-hosts break into an impromptu duet! All this and more on this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO! 

In this episode David and Joshua are joined by self-proclaimed zombie expert DAN HENSLEY to discuss all things ZOMBIES.  Including our favorite zombie movies, comics, games, books, and more! The trio also discusses their favorite types of zombies.  Are you someone who prefers your undead to be slow and menacing or fast and terrifying?  Are you a fan of the virus related zombification or would you prefer your brain-hungry ghouls to be of a more mystical origin? We share our thoughts on these subjects and provide some sensible tips to help ensure you survive the inevitable undead uprising! This episode kicks off our 2018 season of HORROR that will consist of a lineup of shows featuring a variety of spooky and frightening topics!    

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's cinematic masterpiece 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY On this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO David and Joshua are joined by returning guest DANIELLE RANDLES to discuss our recent viewing of this catalyst of science fiction film making.  During a limited re-release of the movie in select IMAX theaters we gathered a TRIO SIMPATICO contingent to take in the cosmic splendor of this Kubrick classic on the big screen!  During this episode we share our thoughts about seeing the movie in IMAX for the first time and how that experience differs from previous viewings. But we don't simply end our discussion there!  We also take this opportunity to talk about the little-known cinematic follow up to 2001, 1984's 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT directed by Peter Hyams.  We discuss the tremendous burden of this sequel, the impossibility of matching its predecessor, and the genuinely great things about this completely different but worthy film.  Plus we touch upon the companion novel

Summer is nearly over, there are only a handful of days left until the start of Autumn, and the TRIO SIMPATICO summer hiatus is officially at an end! We're back! After a lengthy break from the podcast we have much to report about WHAT WE DID THIS SUMMER! Like a back-to-school essay but with more swearing and in podcast form, David Tavolier and Joshua Witsaman return to catch you up on what they've been doing and they recommend some movies, books, video games, and even other podcasts which they've been enjoying! PLUS on this special episode our TRIO has been doubled into a SEXTET (heh heh, sex)!  Recording the episode after a rousing game of the STAR WARS RPG the co-hosts are joined by the members of their roleplaying group DAN HENSLEY, DAVE LANGSTAFF, BLAIR SCOTT, and TRIO SIMPATICO legal counsel BRIAN ASHTON!  All of whom share their exciting adventures from the summer as well! This episode is packed to the brim!  Enjoy!    

David and Joshua are rejoined by their old friend DAVID WESTER to discuss the recent news from E3 2018 and the upcoming video games we're excited to play! Covering Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation along with developers like EA and newcomers Bad Robot the trio tries to touch on a little bit of everything! Pokemon, Smash Bros., Cuphead DLC, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Sea of Solitude, Anthem, and so much more on this episode of TRIO SIMPATICO! Plus exciting news from our sponsor the Bizmuth Potato Company!  So tune in now!  

Welcome back! We have a new Bonus Episode taken from our Solo Dissection recording, in which we briefly chat about Solo's Box Office struggles and the state of Star Wars fandom. Did bad PR turn people off the film? Did angry fans boycott enough to make a difference? Or is the general audience just simply burnt out on Star Wars films? Listen now to hear our thoughts on the matter with our returning guests Tim Mcfarland and Brian Ashton. Punch it!

This is it!  Our Solo: A Star Wars Story coup de grâce!  SPOILERS abound beyond this point as Joshua and David welcome guests TIM MCFARLAND and BRIAN ASHTON as the quartet undertakes a SOLO: DISSECTION episode! Finally sitting down to tear into Solo: A Star Wars Story your co-hosts and their guests crack open the brand new Official Guide to the movie written by Lucasfilm story group head honcho Pablo Hidalgo! Using the official guide as a map the group covers nearly every aspect of the film giving our opinions and commentary on what we liked, what we didn't like, and what we hope to see in future STAR WARS ANTHOLOGY films! PLUS if this conversation leaves you wanting more, fear not!  As you'd expect by now with these episodes, we ran long and had to cut some sections for time, however we are putting those cut segments together for a future bonus episode!  So look for that coming up on TRIO SIMPATICO!  

SPOILERS for Solo: A Star Wars Story As a prelude to our upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story Dissection episode we present this BONUS episode!  Recorded on location at DENNY'S as Joshua and David partake of the current SOLO themed meals and promotions! With Peter Cetera serenading them and their fellow patrons, your co-hosts have a fast and loose conversation as they consume their STAR WARS inspired grub! Listen in to get a quick behind the scenes peek at the lives of Dave and Josh as they prepare for an episode of the podcast, it's like you're sitting at the table with them at America's Diner, Denny's! And stay tuned later this week for our full SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY Dissection episode!